1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle axle stands, and more particularly to a universal axle and differential carrier stand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Stands are important and frequently used equipment in automobile garages and vehicle drivetrain manufacturing plants. Particularly, they are used for holding and supporting vehicle axles and/or differential assemblies during repair or teardown and analysis. Currently, there exist a large number of stands for supporting straight beam type axles of various sizes and independent differential carriers of various dimensions. Big manufacturers or garages waste a great deal of floor space to house all the different axle stands and differential carrier stands, and valuable time is spent switching from stand to stand.
Furthermore, the prior teaches separate stands for either vehicle axles or differential carriers. None of them discloses a universal stand that may support both axles and differential carriers. Also, existing means for clamping axles or mounting differential carriers are relatively complex and cumbersome, and not all the axle stands include axle clamping means.